Fears of a thoroughfare from Piuma to Pacific Coast Highway are unfounded says judge; and development of up to 500 homes on Sweetwater Mesa are unfounded says developer.
By Jonathan Friedman
Staff Writer
Last week, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Collins ordered the City Council to vacate its 2002 decision to deny developer Brian Sweeney a variance to build a 20-foot-wide, 1,660-foot-long private access road that would connect the end of Sweetwater Mesa Road to five Sweeney-owned parcels of undeveloped mountain property above Sweetwater Mesa, located in unincorporated Los Angeles County. Collins wrote that the City Council must either approve Sweeney’s application for the variance or conduct further proceedings and render a new decision.
Collins wrote that the council’s findings were not based on substantial evidence. There was fear the road could eventually connect to Piuma Road, located north of the property at the top of the mountain, thereby creating a thoroughfare through the private streets in the area down to Pacific Coast Highway. Sweeney’s representatives argued to the council in 2002 that although Sweeney has an easement permitting him, with a city variance, to build a road to Sweetwater Mesa, he does not have one granting him access to Piuma Road. They said this eliminates the need to worry about the thoroughfare possibility. In her ruling, Collins agreed with the argument.
“Even if access to the north were a relevant consideration, no evidence supports the speculation in the record that petitioners could obtain an easement to the north or that it would constitute a viable option for access,” she wrote. “The record instead supports the fact that access to the north would involve a purchase of rights not currently held by petitioners.”
Collins added that granting the variance would not give any special privileges to Sweeney, but rather to deny it would deprive him of the same access benefits granted to other property owners in the area.
Sweeney said he is pleased with the judge’s decision, but said it should not have reached this point. He said, had the council just granted him the variance, it would have saved him and the city a great deal of money that never needed to be spent. Sweeney estimated his court costs at about $300,000. City Attorney Christi Hogin said the case has cost the city $17,783.63.
In addition to the nervousness about the creation of a thoroughfare, there was speculation Sweeney wanted to build as much as 500 homes on the Sweetwater Mesa property, although he insists he only plans to construct five. Sweeney said this is one of the lies that have been going around the city.
“A lot of nonsense has been thrown at us the past two or three years and a lot of misinformation has been spread around the city about the project,” Sweeney said.